interaction they’d had since Jeremy had been admitted to her unit two days ago. Even though he’d been here both days, she’d made sure to just stick to the pleasantries, getting in and out of Jeremy’s room quickly when Drake visited.
They stepped outside the room, and Marly eased the large wooden door closed behind her. Trying to come off as a professional was hard when your hands were shaking, so she crossed her arms over her chest and tipped her head to level his stare.
“Something wrong?” she asked.
“I’m going to be at the station for the next thirty-six hours,” he told her, stepping closer so there was only a small gap separating them. “I know Shawn and Amy won’t let me know if they need anything, but could you keep an eye on them when they’re here? If they need food or a break, could you let me know? I can give you my cell. If I’m not busy I can run over or I can have one of my brothers stop by. I don’t want Shawn and Amy to feel like they’re in this alone.”
Wow. He was serious. The fire chief was ready to drop everything to help a friend in need.
The cynical side of Marly wanted to know if he was using this opportunity for publicity in his position, to look good in the eyes of his superiors. Or did this man actually have that kind of a heart?
She shook off the pull to want to know more. The old Marly would’ve reached out, but that woman was dead, cut off from all the emotional tugs toward the wounded hearts of others. She had her own heart to heal.
Pulling herself back to his request and his intense stare as he waited on an answer, she smiled. “Of course I can let you know.”
His mesmerizing blue eyes continued to study her, and she resisted the urge to reach up and make sure her side bangs were covering her scar. She didn’t want to know what he was thinking, didn’t want to know what he saw when he looked at her.
Her ex had used her as a trophy, only wanting her to look good at his side and remain silent. But, gone was that quiet, reserved, perfectly-coiffed woman. Now Marly kept her long blond hair in a ponytail, downplayed her voluptuous chest and wore little to no makeup. This was the real Marly Haskins.
“Did you need anything else?” she asked, ready to get out from under his questioning gaze.
Drake shrugged one shoulder. “Just wondering why you look so sad.”
Taken aback by his abrupt, imposing question, Marly shook her head. “I’m not sad. I mean, I’m sad for Jeremy and his family, but that’s all.”
Reaching out, Drake slid a thumb beneath her eye. “No, you’ve got shadows and there’s sadness there.”
Swatting his hand away, Marly stepped back. “You don’t know me, so I’d appreciate if you didn’t analyze me.”
Drake raked a hand over his closely cropped dark hair. “My apologies. It’s second nature to worry. I just wondered if you were okay.”
Was she okay? Far from it. Was she going to spill her heart to this charming stranger? Absolutely not.
But, oh, how she wished she had someone she could open up to. It was so hard being a single mother in the best of times, let alone when trying to keep her abusive ex from discovering where she was living and trying to remain strong and put up a cheerful front for strangers who had no clue the hell she’d endured.
She couldn’t focus on Drake or his charms. She needed to concentrate on getting her life back in order and setting a stable foundation for her and her daughter. No room for a handsome stranger with vibrant blue eyes and a killer body. Those two qualities meant nothing in the long run.
Drake reached back and pulled out his wallet, producing a business card. “My cell is on there.”
As she slipped the card from his grasp, her fingertips slid across his—the briefest of touches, but enough to have her pulling back. She hadn’t touched a man in any way since leaving her husband. Her patients were all children and she’d made a point to stay clear of men at least until her mental state returned to normal.
Scars weren’t always just on the outside.
“You sure you’re okay?” he asked, brows drawn in as he leaned closer.
Great, now he was seriously concerned about her.
Forcing what she hoped was a convincing smile, Marly nodded. “Fine. Just thinking about Jeremy.”
That answer seemed to pacify the chief as he pulled his keys from his other pocket. “Call me anytime. If I can’t talk, I won’t answer, but leave a message.”
Marly nodded, still eager for him to be on his way.
“I’ll be back tomorrow,” he said.
Yeah, that was what she was afraid of. Each time she saw him her heart would speed up and she’d find herself drawn deeper and deeper into his appeal. That type of mentality was exactly what had gotten her in trouble to begin with.
As Drake walked out of the cheerily painted pediatric unit, Marly couldn’t help but watch him go. Those broad shoulders, that uniform, those dark forearms...Drake St. John was all man and all powerful.
But whatever fluttery feeling she got from being around him would just have to be ignored, because no way would she ever get involved with another man—especially one so sexy and powerful. That combination nearly killed her once before.
Confident that the pretty nurse would notify him if Shawn or Amy needed anything, Drake felt a sliver of satisfaction. Marly, with her wide, chocolate doe eyes, may be leery of him, but he had to assume she’d keep her promise.
He mentally cursed himself for reaching out to her. Good Lord, she’d think he was some type of creep. But he’d seen fear spread through those beautiful eyes of hers when he neared, felt her stiffen beneath his touch.
Drake figured he intimidated her, which was a shame, but he couldn’t figure out why. Someone or something had hurt her. The protector in him wanted to keep her safe, as strange as that may sound, considering he barely knew her.
He also couldn’t figure out why he kept finding himself thinking about her when he’d leave the hospital. He’d seen her a total of three times—she was fairly new in town, according to all the chatter—but other than that, she was a total stranger he knew nothing about.
Well, he’d known when he’d stepped closer to her earlier that she’d smelled like strawberries; he knew she had a gentle, patient bedside manner; and he knew she was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. With her long blond hair, dark eyes and creamy skin, Marly was a stunner, and he’d never even seen an ounce of makeup on her.
He’d not felt a pull toward another woman in over a year. Not since the day his fiancée had died. He never thought he’d feel for anybody again. In his defense, he’d even been on a couple dates since then, but nothing had ever come of them.
There was something pulling him toward Marly. Whether it was her underlying vulnerability or just the woman in general, he truly had no idea. But he knew he couldn’t ignore it, either.
Drake
